Charlie Sheen’s Two and a Half Men Replacement Ashton Kutcher Didn’t Like Walden Schmidt as They Changed the Script
Two And A Half Men became a household name during the early 2000s. Ashton Kutcher and Charlie Sheen played the prominent characters in the comedy show. It was aired from 2003 to 2015 spanning over 12 seasons under CBS. The comedy series revolved around the life of the Harper brothers, Charlie, Alan, and his 10-year-old nephew Jake. After separating from his wife, Alan comes down to stay with his elder brother Charlie, who is a hedonistic jingle writer. Ashton Kutcher was later introduced into the show after the exit of Charlie Sheen.
After the infamous exit of Charlie Sheen, the makers of the sitcom were looking for a perfect replacement. Hugh Grant was in talks for the replacement, but due to some issue, it did not work out with him. Ashton Kutcher was then introduced as Walden Schmidt, a businessman in the 9th season of Two And A Half Men.
Why Ashton Kutcher Did Not Like Playing Walden Schmidt?
Walden Schmidt of Two And A Half Men, Ashton Kutcher did not like his character. It was simply not the role he was signed for. The character development of the role the What Happens In Vegas actor had agreed on, was totally different from what he had to play on-screen. The actor went ahead with alterations in the role and did four seasons of the show. Amidst the controversial exit of Charlie Sheen from the show, Two and A Half Men was taken off the air in February 2015.
During an episode on WTF With Marc Maron’s podcast, Ashton Kutcher opened up about his character in Two And A Half Men. The actor went on to say-
“I went and met with Chuck Lorre, and he seemed like a really smart guy, and he had an idea for this character that I thought was really interesting, which wasn’t the character that I ended up [playing]. I got the script and was like, ‘Well, that’s not what we talked about.”
He added.
“But he had an idea for this character I thought was interesting, and he was like ‘Are you ready?’ and I was like ‘What do you mean?’ He’s like well ‘This is going to be a big story and a big thing.’ I was like, ‘What’s going to happen?’ I mean worst-case scenario, the guy is gonna shit-talk me and then what? So, I was like okay, and I just decided to do it and had a really good time.”
With a stardom like Charlie Sheen’s, it wasn’t easy for Ashton Kutcher to replace him. The Punk’d actor even went on to say-
“I can’t replace Charlie Sheen but I’m going to work my ass off to entertain the hell out of people.”
However, the entry of the No Strings Attached actor into the show accelerated more fan following from the younger generation.
How Much Did Ashton Kutcher Make From Two And A Half Men?
There are only a few actors who have successfully filled the shoes after the departure of a reputed lead actor in a sitcom. By the time Ashton Kutcher joined Two And A Half Men, he was already a prominent name in the entertainment world. He played the role of Michael Kelson in 1998’s The 70’s Show. According to sources, the actor was offered around $755,000 for each episode of Two And A Half Men.
The show was already a hit when Ashton Kutcher was introduced as Walden Schmidt. The sitcom even gave him friends for life who stood by him during his divorce from his ex-wife Demi Moore. Producers from Two And A Half Men even went on to work with him on The Ranch.
Source: WTF With Marc Maron
